DALLAS — You can find automated license plate readers in just about any city in Texas, with Flock Safety being the leading brand of cameras.
There are over 650 Flock cameras within the city of Dallas.
The Dallas Police Department says there has been an increase in Flock cameras being destroyed.
“We lose that visibility and that investigative value from those cameras that are vandalized,” said Sgt. Adam Reinhart.
At least 25 Flock cameras have been vandalized so far, Reinhart says.
“It’s become popular to cut down Flock cameras. And so we’re just seeing that trend here in Dallas. Along with, you know, throughout the country,” he explained.
Reinhart says it’s a growing concern across multiple police departments. From Houston to Austin, what law enforcement officers call crime-fighting tools are being met with pushback.
The people behind websites like DeFlock.com believe these cameras pose a threat to personal privacy. On the website, developers created a map pinpointing where people can find the cameras.
Because Flock cameras use artificial intelligence to scan every car that passes by, there is a growing concern surrounding privacy and how much information is kept.
After a scan, the model, make, color and license plate of the car go into a database that police departments from across the country can access.
But according to Flock Safety spokesperson Josh Thomas, it’s the city officials who determine what to do with the data.
“First and foremost, the city owns the data, not Flock. There’s no sharing or selling of this data. The city has to determine if they want to collaborate with neighboring agencies, neighboring cities, and work together to solve crime,” Thomas said in an interview with Spectrum News 1 Texas back in May.
According to the Texas Privacy Coalition, there are over 10,000 flock cameras in Texas. Harris County has the largest number of cameras, with more than 3,500. Dallas County came in second with over 1,300 cameras.
And with over 120,000 cameras in the nation, Reinhart says it’s a helpful tool when an investigation goes beyond state lines.
“Here in Dallas, where we have located critical missing people from out of state, so that’s how it becomes a very positive investigative tool is finding those missing people,” he said.
Despite over 63,000 law enforcement inquires in 2025 alone, Dallas police say Flock cameras have helped the department solve all kinds of crimes, from kidnappings to robberies and even homicides.
So far this year, the department has solved 12 murders and hopes to solve more with the help of Flock cameras.